Research

My research, and that of my associates, is concerned with understanding developmental physiology, particularly the regulatory processes in postembryonic development of insects. We are also interested in the evolution of those processes, and the insights this can give us into the mechanisms by which genes, environment and physiology affect the development and evolution of complex traits. We explore these problems in four specific (and interconnected) areas of investigation:

• The control of metamorphosis and polyphenism
• The control of growth, body size and allometry
• The development and evolution of wing patterns
• Genetics, evolution and mathematical modeling of complex traits

“Evolution on the Wing” ——a mural by Jonathan Kingdon—–